Truly Powerful

The stubborn stone was originally filled with murderous intent, but after hearing what the willow tree said, its murderous intent suddenly diminished. The thoughts of a great and powerful master were difficult to fathom. Willow tree was right; they should refrain from indiscriminate killing. What if they offended the great and powerful master? That would be disastrous!

"Alright," it said, lowering itself back down.

Willow tree then released the confinement on Luo Xiao and the two formidable members of the Red Chain Snake Clan. Immediately, Luo Xiao and the two Red Chain Snake Clan members burst out of the rubble! They exchanged a glance, terror evident in their eyes. They didn't dare to stay; they fled at top speed, putting distance between themselves and the area.

It was only when they had escaped a considerable distance, ensuring their safety, that they dared to stop.

"That willow tree is terrifying!" they exclaimed, still trembling from the terror it had inflicted upon them. They never expected to encounter such a horrifying willow tree in an area where ordinary mortals lived. Unbeknownst to them, they had been effortlessly restrained by the willow tree's power. The willow tree's strength was undoubtedly on par with the Red Chain Snake Emperor!

"Is Luo Shui related to that willow tree?" one of the Red Chain Snake Clan members furrowed his brow.

If Luo Shui was connected to the willow tree, things would become complicated.

"It should not be related. Otherwise, it wouldn't have let us go if it had any connection with us. It would have killed us long ago!" Luo Xiao contemplated, "You're right," the Red Chain Snake Clan member nodded, "It's just our bad luck. We must have unknowingly violated some taboo of that willow tree, which is why it acted against us."

"Is Luo Shui still there?" another Red Chain Snake Clan member asked.

Luo Xiao closed his eyes and used the bloodline connection with the Snow Cat Clan to sense Luo Shui's location. This bloodline connection was unbreakable, unless Luo Shui abandoned the bloodline of the Snow Cat Clan, but that would result in Luo Shui's death.

"No, she's gone," he quickly confirmed Luo Shui's location. Luo Shui had left the area around the willow tree.

"That's a relief. Let's go!" they exclaimed, resuming their journey.

Meanwhile, high in the sky, two figures were flying towards Qingshan City.

"Xiaoliang, is that senior master really as incredible as you said?" an elderly man with white hair asked. He appeared quite old, but his spirit was even more vibrant than that of a young man. His eyes shone with a sharp gaze, and he exuded a compelling aura.

"Ancestor, that senior master is even more formidable than I described," replied Xiaoliang, who was actually Lu Liang from the Falling Cloud Sect.

The elder addressed as "ancestor" was the patriarch of the Falling Cloud Sect. Lu Liang had returned to the sect and informed the patriarch of everything that had transpired after meeting Li Jiudao. He had brought the patriarch to meet Li Jiudao, hoping that this encounter would help the patriarch break through and extend his lifespan.

"Very well," the Falling Cloud Sect's patriarch nodded without saying much. They continued to rush towards Qingshan City.

At the same time, Li Jiudao and Luo Shui had already returned to the small courtyard. Li Jiudao placed the fish from the basket into a large basin and filled it with water. There were too many fish, and Little White Cat wouldn't be able to eat them all at once. He saved these fish for later.

"Wait patiently, I'll stew the fish for you," Li Jiudao said casually. He picked up a fish, went into the kitchen, removed the fish scales, and placed it in a pot to stew.

"Thank goodness it's not me!" thought the Seven Illusion Fish in the basin, feeling relieved. Despite their powerful bloodlines, they were no match for Li Jiudao, a great and powerful master. If they had been caught, they would have surely perished.

Didn't they see how effortlessly their companion was stripped of its scales and placed in the pot? Fish scales were the toughest part of their bodies, and these fish, all from the Upper Ninth Realm, were exceptionally strong. But in Li Jiudao's hands, they were no different from ordinary fish. Li Jiudao was truly terrifying!

"This little mixed-blood cat is incredibly lucky!" it glanced at Luo Shui, overwhelmed with envy. In terms of bloodline and strength, it was much more powerful than Luo Shui. However, Luo Shui was favored by a great and powerful master, while it was destined to be cooked and served to Luo Shui...

"Sigh, in the eyes of such great and powerful masters, bloodline hardly matters!" it sighed deeply. Li Jiudao's cultivation level was too high. In his eyes, there was little difference between them and Luo Shui. Powerful bloodlines were not worth mentioning.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh! Radiant light surged as Luo Xiao and the two Red Chain Snake Clan members appeared above Qingshan City.

"Luo Shui is in this city!" Luo Xiao sensed Luo Shui's location clearly. He was about to lead the two Red Chain Snake Clan members towards Luo Shui.

"Hold on, don't be impulsive. We can't afford to be careless like last time!" one of the Red Chain Snake Clan members cautioned.

They had been too careless before and almost died at the hands of that willow tree. This time, they couldn't afford to be careless again. He used his spiritual awareness to scan Qingshan City before proceeding.

"No problem, let's go!" After scanning the area and finding nothing unusual, they could confidently proceed.

"Let's go!" Luo Xiao led the way, with the two Red Chain Snake Clan members following closely behind.

As they flew overhead, they quickly arrived at Li Jiudao's shop, where they saw Luo Shui in the courtyard.

"It's not an ordinary courtyard," they thought, realizing that something was amiss. However, before they could react, their faces turned pale.

One terrifying pressure after another assaulted them, and they were utterly defenseless. Their bodies rapidly disintegrated, and they couldn't resist at all! 

"This isn't an ordinary courtyard..." The thought crossed their minds, and it was the last thought they had. In a matter of moments, their bodies completely exploded, turning into a mist of blood that fell in front of the shop's entrance.

Onlookers nearby were shocked. How could pieces of bones and flesh suddenly rain down? It was both ominous and disgusting!

They quickly took cover, afraid to come out.

"So powerful!" The patriarch of the Falling Cloud Sect and Lu Liang arrived in the city just in time to witness Luo Xiao and the others' bodies exploding. The Falling Cloud Sect's patriarch's pupils contracted. Lu Liang was right; that individual was truly unimaginable!